Merchandise
Apart from toys, books, greeting cards and animated media, the Care Bears have been prominently featured in merchandising as well, some of which includes gummy bears, party goods, cell phone covers, interior decoration sets, stationery, school supplies, stickers, clothing, accessories and many other goods. During the early 2000s relaunch, the classic Care Bear toys were available at stores such as Carlton Cards, Claire's, and Spencer Gifts.
When the franchise was introduced in the 1980s, a mistake was made while manufacturing the stuffed animals causing Bedtime Bear (blue) and Wish Bear (aqua) to swap colors. As soon as the mistake was discovered, the two bears returned into their appropriate hues. Later, a children's story was written explaining why the bears had switched tints.
In his 1986 essay, The Shortcake Strategy, Tom Englehardt referred to the Care Bears dolls as "highly specialized" toys. "So specializd that instead of being complex individual personalities, they are no more than carefully labeled fragments of a personality", he stated. "Together, they must engage in a series of specialized interventions as complex as those of any real-life medical unit."
In 2010 an independent study conducted by Robert Evans, a member of the Fort Lewis MWR team concluded that James Rutherford of Washington State holds the largest collection of Care Bears in the United States.
A subsequent study conducted in 2011, which confirmed that the second largest collection belonged to Dustin Jasper Kimberlin Majors, who oddly enough is a co-worker of James Rutherford.
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